I Believe In You
by Rhymes Black
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione have left the Weasley wedding and are on their way to Godric's Hollow. As they arrive they meet 3 newcomers that prove to be a helpful handful. With Voldemort's demise so closely at hand they try to stay sane and loyal to each o
1. Tornequet

_Well, here is another Harry Potter story and it's actually not dark, and not very fluffy. It's supposed to take place following the Weasley wedding when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are at Godric's Hollow. This is a collaboration of me and my friend Jessi, who is also an writer, I just can't think of her name for some reason. Enjoy_

_  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Jessa, she is Jessi's character. And I only own half of Xander, for he is both myself and Jessi's character._

3 young people quietly made their way through the dense forest surrounding Godric's Hollow. Harry Potter's eyes darted left and right trying to see through the thicket. He wished that the leaves below his feet didn't crunch so much as they walked. He looked up silently wondering why the leaves of fall had already abandoned their trees when it was still early August, but he saw green still in the trees and figured that they must have been from last year. Harry then felt strangely like he was being watched from close by. He flashed a look at Ron and saw his eyes scurrying from side to side; he must have had the same uneasiness. Hermione on the other hand was in between the two; her wand held out and lit. She was still looking for the source of the rustling leaves she had heard minutes ago.

"Hermione, it was probably a rabbit," Ron moaned quietly.

"Well Ron, its either we confirm that or run the risk of being killed, your choice," she hissed back. Ron muttered incoherently about her being 'over-anxious' and 'going to hex someone's eye out.'

A figure followed the Potter gang stealthily through the trees and laughed silently at Hermione's statement, it was she who had made the noise, almost tripping on a hidden tree root. But she would never think of killing them, although she was carrying a wand and an array of muggle weapons.

As they neared the Potter's old home the group's follower ran swiftly, but silently ahead of the group and hid around the perimeter newly built but unoccupied house. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the house they let their guard down a bit, thinking they may have been safe. When they come nearer to the house 2 hooded figures opened the front door of the house and stupefied Harry and Ron. Hermione wheeled around to fire when 2 girls jumped out from their refuges and used _Locomotor Mortis_, causing the Death Eaters to freeze and fall to the ground, each smacking their head off the front step and being rendered unconscious. After the girls tied them up they rounded on each other. One was around 5'7 with shoulder-length red hair and dark brown eyes, she was muscular and was carrying a wand, sword, 2 pistols, and a semi-automatic rifle. The other was shorter, maybe 5'4 with thigh length wine colored red hair and light misty blue eyes that reminded Harry of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on whom.

"Who're you?" both girls cried. Harry and Ron sat up, the hex was wearing off, and they stared at the two new comers.

"I am Rhymes Black," Rhymes stated simply.

"The daughter of Sirius Black?"

Rhymes nodded. Harry stared at her, he had known Rhymes for a while, she popped in at Hogwarts every once in a while to speak with Dumbledore and they had spoke often, but he never had known her last name was Black.

"Have you any proof?" the other girl asked, breaking Harry from his thoughts.

"Do you want to see my driver's liscense?" Rhymes said exasperated.

"I do not care wether or not you can operate a muggle machine," the other girl said irritably.

"Well, we can tell that you can't drive."

"Have you any reasonable proof?"

"How's this?" Rhymes held up her ring finger showing a ring that had the Black family crest imbedded on it. "What now bitch?"

"O goody goody for you," the girl said, turning away from Rhymes.

"Goody goody? What the hell is she on?" Rhymes muttered.

The girl ignored Rhymes's snide comment and turned back to more important matters. Ron, seizing the opportunity once both girls had shut up, stepped forward and stated the question on everyone's minds.

"Um…excuse me, but…who exactly are you?" His statement directed toward the unknown girl.

"I am Jessa Sullivan, granddaughter of the great and world renowned headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. I am here to protect Harry Potter as was ordered of me by the Order of the Phoenix," she stated like she was a grand princess announcing her title.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stood in shocked silence. Harry finally realized whose eyes she had, Dumbledore's. None of the group knew Dumbledore had a daughter let alone a granddaughter. Clearly she didn't know that her grandfather was dead. But Harry was also contemplating why Sirius had never mentioned a wife and child to him. Now that he looked at Rhymes, however, he could see that she had his eyes.

"Um," Harry said, approaching Jessa. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Dumbledore's dead."

Jessa froze, sadness and confusion streaking her face.

"No, that can't be…"

"He is, I saw it happen."

Jessa broke into sobs then and everyone shuffled their feet, not really knowing what to do or how to comfort her. After a couple minutes Jessa took a deep breath and pulled herself together.

"Are you-" Hermione began.

"I'm fine," Jessa spat.

"Well, um, why are you here now?" Ron asked.

Jessa sighed, "didn't you hear me before? I was sent here months ago by grandpa to wait for you, I've been here for months."

After her explaination Hermione turned to Rhymes.

"And why are you here?"

"I heard you guys at the lake at Dumbledore's funeral and you didn't think that I would let you guys leave without me! I want to avenge Dumbledore and my father's deaths just as much as you guys!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, knowing perfectly well that Rhymes was here to be with Harry.

"Well, guys I guess no one lives here and I want to see my parents' graves, so can we go?" Harry asked, trying to change the subject. The rest nodded, Jessa really looked like she was trying to hold herself together, but was still grief-stricken.

They walked behind the house and actually saw the cemetery only a few feet from the back fence. Quietly and cautiously they climbed the fence and looked at a few headstones before they found two right next to each other bearing the names James Potter and Lily Evans-Potter. Harry knelt down and felt his eyes water as he touched the stones. He looked at the ground as the tears came. Hermione and Ron let him have his space while Jessa stood holding her wand in one hand and wiping her eyes with the other. Rhymes had her hands on her hips and was thinking about her own mother's death. Then she heard it. A soft rustling, almost inaudible from behind her, she looked over and saw that Jessa was frozen; she seemed to have heard the noise too. She was gripping her wand tighter. Rhymes had stowed her wand so she grabbed the hilt of her sword.

A whoosh went over their heads and a boy landed on the top of Harry's parents' graves. Before even the culprit could react Harry yelled, "_stupefy!_" and the boy froze and fell backwards. Rhymes bound him and she and Harry sat by his side til he came around. When the boy opened his eyes and came too Harry forced his wand in his adams apple.

"Who are you?" he asked fiercely.

"My name is Xander Lupin, I have come from the Order of the Phoenix," he replied, his voice gruff, and his gray eyes full of anger.

"Why have they sent you?" Rhymes said.

"To protect Jessa Sullivan, which I believe is you," he said.

"I am not Jessa, that over there is Jessa!" she replied pointing, a look of mild disgust on her face. Xander looked over and cocked his head to the side.

"Guys, we should really talk about this," said Harry. "Out of his hearing range."

"You'll have to go far, I have excellent hearing, I have werewolf blood running in my vains," Xander said. Harry glared at him and motioned for the ones not bound to move to the other side of the graveyard. As Rhymes and Harry began talking and discussing while the others mostly stood there and put their words in whenever Harry or Rhymes took a breath Xander began to have a conversation in his head.

'Well' he thought looking at the motley crew. One girl was bushy haired and looked fairly intelligent, a boy with radical red hair looked like he couldn't find his way out of a paper bag with a map and signposts, he knew which was Harry Potter, and the loud brash red head had pointed out Jessa. 'Well, this may be a handful. It seems that the loud one and Harry Potter are the alpha couple and Jessa seems to be the smallest and weakest, no wonder they sent me to protect her. The other two look as though them may serve some purpose sometime. The girl looks quite smart, she may be an asset, and the boy, well, he just looks like he's there for entertainment.'

They returned after several minutes of conversation and looked at him.

"We've decided that we believe you, but we don't trust you," Rhymes said. Harry nodded. Ron made like he was going to untie Xander, but Hermione stopped him.

"I could make some Veritaserum, and then we'd know if he was lying," Hermione said. Harry looked like he was considering this.

"Maybe whenever we get back to the wizarding town we past, but none of us can go in an apothecary to get the ingredients," Harry said after a bit.

"I'll go get the stuff," Rhymes said. "I'll take princess here and wolfy too."

Harry nodded.

"Are you going to untie me?" Xander asked.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about you," Ron said, untying him. Xander stood up to his full height, 6'2, and swung his light brown hair from side to side shaking the dirt out of his hair.

"Well, we should start heading back through the woods, maybe find some kind of shelter so that Rhymes can get the ingredients and Hermione can make the potion," Harry said. The rest nodded and they began walking. Harry and Rhymes walked at the back and started talking about what she had been doing all summer, she hadn't gone to the Weasley wedding like she intended too, she was on a mission in Scotland. Jessa and Xander walked next to each other, not speaking. Hermione and Ron led the way, Hermione finding a small alcove made by pine tree branches and rocks that they could stay in for the duration of the potion making. It was near dawn now and everyone was tired from the exciting night.

Xander stood outside the hut and Jessa stood with him.

"Why were you sent?" she asked.

"To protect you, like I said. But it seems that you have all the protection you need with the Black daughter. She must be powerful, she carries a magic rifle and only extremely powerful wizards and witches are allowed to purchase those. I mean, I thought that you would be more powerful, being Dumbledore's granddaughter and all, but you're so small. You must be weak," he said. Jessa looked daggers and him and promptly smacked him across the face. As a reaction he growled at her, nearly baring his fangs.

"Don't growl at me mutt!" she cried, turning on her heel and walking into the shelter.

"What's her problem?" Xander wondered aloud, sitting on a rock and waiting for the sun to finish rising.

_Well, there is the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. R&R please, no flames will be acknowledged, only constructive critism because I am perfectly aware that I am not J.K. Rowling or could even compare to her. Thank you._

_Rhymes_

_  
Last line of song that I heard:_

_I lay dying_

_And I'm pouring_

_Crimson regret and betrayal_

_-"Tourniquet" Evanescence _


	2. Scars

_Ok, here is chapter 2 and it's a bit shorter then chapter 1. Anyway I hope yins all like it._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Jessa and I only own half of Xander, the top half. _

_Enjoy_

Rhymes came out of the shelter around 6 in the evening and found Xander sleeping in the fetal position on the forest floor.

"Xander! Hey you big poodle wake up!" Rhymes called. Xander's eyes flew open in anger and he stood up, fists clenched and growled.

"Don't call me a poodle," he snarled.

"Oh please, you're a big puppy, stop acting like stupid pit bull," she replied, not frightened by his bared teeth. He growled but stood down. He didn't want to get in a fight with the alpha-female; she would probably kick his ass. Jessa came out of the hut then and glared at Xander.

"Are we leaving?" she asked, dressed in a black cloak. Rhymes nodded and began walking toward the town.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in the shelter, hot and sweating. Ron wiped his forhead with his sleeve and sighed.

"How long does it take to make Veritaserum?" Ron asked.

"Around a month," she answered, reading one of the many books she had brought with her.

"A MONTH! We have to sit in this God forsaken hellhole for a month!" Ron cried.

"Yes, if we want to know the truth about this so called nephew of Prof. Lupin, then we have to sit in this hellhole for a month."

Ron scowled and muttered incoherently again.

"Ron, stop that, you sound like you should be committed," Harry said, looking silently out the door to where the three were walking away. He could see Rhymes's and her two secret pistols sticking out the back of her black jeans.

"Harry, if you like her it's ok. Ginny will understand, remember, you guys talked about 'meeting someone else' at the wedding," Hermione said understanding. Ron stared at Harry.

"You like Rhymes? Are you CRAZY! SHE'S A PYSCHOPATHIC MANIAC!" Ron cried.

"You've always liked her, you guys are really good friends remember?" Harry said.

"Yea, but I've never wanted to date her! And I never said she wasn't a psychopathic maniac because she is one."

"Would you two lighten up on her? There's a lot that you don't know," Hermione said. Harry gazed at her.

"How do you know?" he asked. She gave him a look that said 'girls talk' and kept reading her book. He sighed and sat down next to Ron.

Rhymes, Jessa, and Xander walked into the apothecary and stared at the ingredients.

"Ok, let me handle this," Jessa said. And she worked like lightening getting all the ingredients together. Then Rhymes took over.

"Ok, all of this together is 14 galleons and 8 sickles," the witch behind the counter said smiling. She looked nervous, like this was her first day and Rhymes took advantage of that.

"It costs that much? Wow, and I thought that we were getting a deal. I mean, look at some of this stuff this dragon's blood looks a little too pink, not in tip top shape to me," she said. The witch looked a little more nervous then before.

"Um, I can drop the price a bit if you think the merchandise isn't up to mark," she said.

"I think that would be right."

"Well, ok, how about 10 galleons?" she said, smiling again.

"That sounds perfect. Cough up guys I ain't got 10 galleons," she said. Jessa and Xander handed over a few galleons each and they paid. As they walked back to the shelter Xander looked in between the two girls, as if deciding which one he would like to date more. He settled on Jessa, mostly because she was much prettier then Rhymes. Rhymes's only real plus was her hair while Jessa had beautiful hair and eyes and body. He felt that if he had to choose a female one day he would choose Jessa, not for her personality, which he loathed, but for her beauty. They arrived back at the hut and almost threw the ingredients into Hermione's face. As she bent down to get her book she rattled on about making the serum and what to do when it was done and such. Jessa was getting annoyed waiting for her to find her book, so she grabbed the stuff and lit a fire under the cauldron.

"Let me handle this, I know how to make Veritaserum off by heart," she said snappishly. Hermione looked shocked, angry, and envious all at once. Jessa took a deep breath and began working, she had always have a thing with potions, she could do pretty much anything with a potion and she could make any potion and not need a book. Snape hadn't trained her, but by an American potions master named Thyrn H. Mal. He had taught her to train her mind and to memorize every potion that he knew, which was pretty much all of them. She sat at the cauldron and began adding ingredients and stirring.

"Hmph, she could've helped, she didn't need to be so rude," Hermione muttered.

"O come on Hermione, you're jealous and you know it," Ron said. Hermione glared and Harry rolled his eyes. Jessa continued working on the potion and Rhymes asked Xander to play cards.

Harry sat back and stared at everyone. 'Wow' he thought 'I hope it stays like this, us all semi-getting along and no one dies'. Then he realized how close a possibility the latter was.

"How're long are we going to be here?" Rhymes asked.

"About a month," Jessa replied.

"Great," she and Xander muttered. Jessa glared.

_Ok, well there it was. R&R please._

_Rhymes_

_Last lyric I heard:_

_My weakness is I care too much_

_And these scars remind me that the past is real_

_I tear my heart open just to feel_

_-'Scars' Papa Roach_


	3. Behind These Hazel Eyes

_Ok, here is number 3, go me! Anyway, enjoy._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, Jessa, and I only own half of Xander. And I don't own the one set of lines in this story because they belong to Monty Python and The Holy Grail._

The first few days went slowly, the group only talking when need be and Jessa, Xander, and Rhymes fighting over something or another almost daily. Harry was getting clearly sick of the situation.

"You know what," he said two weeks into the potions beginning.

"What?" they asked together.

"I'm moving out and I'm taking one of you with me, and it's not going to be Xander or Jessa because I don't know them well enough," he said simply. "So you three figure it out between yourselves."

Hermione, Ron, and Rhymes looked at each other.

"Odds and evens to see who plays rocks, paper, scissors?" Rhymes asked. The other two nodded. They stood next to each other and Rhymes and Ron ended up winning. Hermione sat back in a corner moping while the others played. Rhymes won. She looked up at Harry, both their eyes wide.

"Um, ok, well I found another shelter a little bit away from here, so uh, let's go," he said. They left and the first thing Ron did was go 'ohhhhhhhhh'.

"What?" Jessa said.

"Haven't you noticed?" Hermione said.

"Noticed what?"

"Clearly you're not as observant as we thought," Hermione said smirking. She was still a little ticked about the potion thing. Jessa glared. "Well," Hermione continued, "Rhymes has had a bit of a thing for Harry for a while and well, this should be interesting." Jessa nodded.

Rhymes and Harry walked along a path that Harry had made in silence. They glanced sideways every few seconds like they wanted to make sure the other was still there.

"Um, how do you think until the potions done?" Harry asked.

"Well the full moon's in another week, so about a week in a half," Rhymes replied. Harry nodded soundlessly. "Wow, this is awkward."

"Yea, why is that?"

"Probably because we're going to be living with each other for like a week and there are no adults to tell us what to do."

"You have a point. Hey, here it is," he said. There was a small little alcove that looked just like the other one; only this one was under a thick bunch of trees. "It'll keep us dry when it rains."

"Yea, convenient."

They went in and Rhymes promptly lay her stuff on the opposite side of the shelter and fell asleep. Harry shook his head and went outside to read some from a book he had borrowed from Hermione.

As the last week and a half wore on Harry and Rhymes had better conversations, though they avoided talking about Sirius and Dumbledore, which were very touchy subjects. They definitely had a change in their relationship. They both started to like each other more and get a lot closer. Ron and Hemione noticed this change also.

"So, Harry," Hermione began one day when he and Rhymes were checking on the serum one day. "How have you and Rhymes been?"

"Uh…well…you know…good," he stammered, turning crimson. Hemione smirked.

"Harry, you know it's ok to like Rhymes. She's a good girl."

"I know that!" Harry said bitterly. He didn't like that fact that he was falling for Rhymes, it didn't seem fair to Ginny.

"I sometimes doubt that you do."

Harry glared at her and went to talk to Ron. As he walked over he decided against that, Ron had that same smart-ass look on his face as Hermione. So he walked over to see how Jessa was doing on the Vertiserum.

"So is it ready?" he asked.

"Tomorrow it will be," Jessa answered. "But I think he's telling the truth, I mean, he's been here for month, perfectly able to kill us all in our sleep and he hasn't."

"Yea, but then the time has been wasted if we just believed him."

"I know, that's why I'm still making him take it."

Rhymes came over then and she and Harry left.

"Those two are definitely into each other," Ron said coming over to talk to Hermione.

"I agree, but I think he thinks Ginny will hate him if he is with her." Ron looked over at Hermione and cocked his head to one side. He knew that Harry had liked Ginny a lot that would be the only reason he would just randomly kiss her in front of a bunch of people at a party. But he couldn't see why, since they were broken up and Rhymes was a great girl.

The next day when the potion was ready Ron fetched Harry and Rhymes and they came for the interrogation.

"Do you want to question him?" Hermione asked them as they came in. Jessa looked a bit insulted, but all had to agree that she didn't look as intimidating as Rhymes. Rhymes looked like she would kick your ass in a minute.

"Ok, well let's start," Harry said. He handed the potion to Rhymes and she made Xander drink it straight. He gave off a bit of a disgusted look, but he drank it.

"Well, what is your name?" Rhymes asked.

"Xander Xavier Lupin."

"Xander Xavier? HAHA!" Ron laughed, finding the name quite amusing. Everyone laughed a bit at Ron's reaction. Xander scowled.

"What is your quest?" she asked.

"To protect Jessa Sullivan," he answered, still a little pissed.

"What…is you're favorite color?" she continued. Everyone looked a little puzzled. Then Jessa got it and actually laughed at what Rhymes said.

"Um…" then Xander thought, I'm going to try to lie. "R…Re…R…Royal blue!" He sighed, he couldn't lie.

"Well, who sent you?" Harry asked as Rhymes collapsed into a fit of laughter over the fact that only one person got the joke.

"My uncle Remus Lupin."

"Did you plan on hurting any of us or biting us?" he continued.

"Jessa in fact, she was a bitch when we first met."

Jessa looked highly affronted and got up to hit Xander again but Rhymes held her back. Then they started yelling at each other.

"Girls! Shut up!" Harry yelled. Both of them silenced themselves. After a few more questions they stopped and had another pow-wow. Xander began having one of his wolf-spoken talks in his head again. 'I must have really insulted Jessa, but that was pretty much insubordination, her yelling at the alpha-female. And what is going one between the to alphas? When they find that I'm telling the truth I will be the alpha-male and if I must I will be with the overly obnoxious Rhymes, but I hope that she will keep with the Potter boy. However, she seems to like the man in power.'

They came back over then and looked at Xander warily.

"We've decided that we believe you and we trust you," Harry said. Xander nodded and looked at Jessa, she was smiling.

_Here I am, I have finished this chapter and it is complete!_

_Rhymes_

_Last lyric I heard:_

_Here I am once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

_Broken up deep inside_

_But you won't get to see the tears I cried_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

_-'Behind These Hazel Eyes' Kelly Clarkson_


End file.
